Sponsors
The bill trades clearer, more predictable coastwise endorsement rules for passenger-vessel voyages touching foreign ports against the risk that some operators will face tighter enforcement, higher compliance costs, and adaptation burdens from the repeal of a prior statutory provision.
Owners/operators of passenger vessels and Coast Guard/enforcement agencies gain clearer statutory language and punctuation about when coastwise endorsement rules apply to voyages that touch foreign ports, improving regulatory clarity and making enforcement/compliance more predictable.
Clarifying the statute's structure and punctuation reduces ambiguity in the law, which should lower the likelihood of some legal disputes over coastwise endorsement applicability.
Small passenger-vessel owners/operators may face narrower interpretations and stricter enforcement of coastwise rules (and a possible short-term rise in conservative litigation), increasing compliance and legal costs for those businesses.
Repeal of section 12121 removes or alters a prior statutory provision, requiring stakeholders to adapt to a changed legal framework and potentially incurring legal or administrative costs.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Clarifies that passenger voyages between U.S. ports are subject to coastwise rules even if they call at a foreign port, repeals 46 U.S.C. §12121, and states no new exemptions are created.
Amends federal coastwise rules to make clear that vessels carrying passengers between U.S. ports are covered by coastwise endorsement requirements even if their route includes a foreign port, repeals a related prior statutory provision, and states that the changes do not create any new exemptions from U.S. law except where expressly provided. The change affects how passenger-carrying vessels are treated for coastwise purposes and clarifies enforcement and compliance expectations.
Introduced July 30, 2025 by Mike Lee · Last progress July 30, 2025